Xiangyang cured meat

Xiangyang cured meat

　　The history of cured meat is unclear. In rural areas, it is customary to slaughter a “New Year pig” every lunar December, which symbolizes a bountiful harvest and the celebration of the New Year. Since these pigs are usually slaughtered in the twelfth lunar month, their meat takes on a color resembling that season, hence the name “cured meat.” The making of cured meat is both simple and complex. After the pig is slaughtered, strips of salted meat are placed in an earthenware vat. After about a week, once brine begins to seep out from the bottom, the meat can be hung up for smoking. The smoking beds are kept burning with firewood year-round. Cured meat smoked and dried on such beds has a very distinctive flavor. It is hung on the beds for some time before being stored away. The mountainous region enjoys a cool climate, and most houses are built of stone, offering good ventilation. As a result, cured meat can be preserved for a long time, and the longer it is kept, the more wonderfully fragrant it becomes. There is particular knowledge involved in storing cured meat. In most households, one New Year pig per year yields enough cured meat to last until rice planting and wheat harvesting, and sometimes even until the Mid-Autumn Festival in August. Some wealthier families slaughter two or three New Year pigs annually without it being unusual, and their aged cured meat can be stored for two to three years without molding or rotting. There are many methods of storage; generally, the cured meat is buried in a dry grain barn, or wrapped in oiled paper along with grain husks mixed with chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorn powder, and then stored in a cool, ventilated place.